When It’s Time To Say That Final Goodbye To A Beloved Pet

Some dogs don’t live beyond the age of 10 but I consider myself lucky as all my dogs have lived way past that age when they are considered senior. Some dogs develop serious health issues by the time they are 7 or 8 years old but mine didn’t. Out of my 3 dogs, one passed away naturally in December 2017, another was lost and went missing in January 2018 while my last and final dog, Juliet has just passed away this morning. I brought her to the vet to be euthanized as she was in so much pain and torment the past few days.

For the past 5 years, Juliet has been beset by various health problems ranging from arthritis to congestive heart failure to middle ear inflammation. She has been in and out of different vets so many times. She also has breast cancer lumps which of course can’t be removed without an operation but at her age and with such awful breathing problems caused by her heart, she wouldn’t have survived an operation. I did think about euthanizing her last year but I had to make that a last resort.

Unfortunately things took a turn for the worse as the past few days, she has been in more pain than usual. She was writhing, moaning and barking whenever she was awake even though she hadn’t lost her appetite. I knew I had to do something to end her misery as the medications I was pumping into her on a daily basis were not working. She could barely stand to do her business outside and often she would fall down. Life was becoming too miserable for her and I just couldn’t watch her suffer any more.

This morning, I rushed her to the vet and consulted with her about the dog’s condition. The vet agreed that Juliet didn’t have any quality of life left and it’d be the right time to euthanize her. The deciding fact was that I couldn’t bear to watch her suffer another day or night. She even barks at night whenever she needs to go to the toilet or when she feels uncomfortable. Obviously all signs that she was declining rapidly and would only suffer indefinitely no matter what medications I fed her.

Saying that final goodbye was painful as anyone who has ever had a pet can imagine. No one wants to have to put down their pet but for humane reasons, this has to be done. It’s an extremely tough decision. I have never had to euthanize a pet and hope I never have to do so again. 2 injections are given, the first to put her to sleep and the second stops her heart beating. All over in a minute or less. Very traumatic to watch but I have to say I felt a sense of immense relief as she will have no more pain.

To my beloved dog of 17 years – I love you more than words can express. I will miss you all the days of my life and perhaps one day we will be reunited again. I know that you are in a much better place now and that I have made the right decision. I will never forget the happiness you brought to my life and although you had a tough last few years, you were strong and held on till the very end when my love for you meant I had to end your pain.